The present invention relates to a video camera, such as a camcorder, for photographing or recording a picture image onto a recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to an image area indicating circuit, which generates laser beams, for defining a photographing area of an object to be photographed.
In conventional cameras, functions such as focusing and zooming require the user to view the object through a viewfinder of the camera and actuate manual controls for effecting such functions.
More recently, the focusing function, for example, has become automated through an automatic focusing device. As a result, the user does not have to view the object through the viewfinder and manually adjust the focusing controls to focus the camera onto an object.
On the other hand, with respect to the zooming function, the user is required to view the object to be photographed through the viewfinder and manually control the zooming conditions of the camera relative to the object.
Accordingly, in order to photograph an object with a camcorder and to control accurately the zoom function of the camcorder, the user has to look into the viewfinder to visualize the object as the zoom settings are manually adjusted.
However, when the user is photographing a moving object, there are problems associated with the above described zooming method which make photographing an object both difficult and inaccurate because of the weight of the camcorder. Further, since the user cannot visualize the surrounding conditions or area of the object to be photographed, a good picture (including the background) cannot be obtained. This is particularly true when photographing in the night because it is difficult to follow an object and to identify the surrounding conditions of the object at the same time.